Members-elect of the opposition parties in the House of Representatives, 10th Assembly have pulled out of the race for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House ahead of the June 5th inauguration. The opposition parties announced their decision to withdraw their interest in the positions, saying they had no members who were willing to vie for those roles.
Afam VOgene (LP-Anambra), the co-spokesperson of the opposition political caucus known as “Greater Majority”, disclosed this outcome at a caucus meeting held in Abuja. The caucus comprises of several political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Africa Democratic Party (ADC), Young Peoples Party (YPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The “Greater Majority” caucus had initially announced plans to contest for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions. An 11-man Committee was established to screen, shortlist and recommend potential aspirants for the roles. However, no members of the minority caucus showed interest in the leadership positions, after the screening period ended.
Mr. Ogene said that the caucus met with some APC aspirants for the roles, and based on their qualifications, they seemed competent. Details of these meetings, however, have not been officially disclosed to the rest of the caucus.
Despite backing out of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker race, the opposition parties assured that they would remain united as one.
The 10th House of Representatives will be inaugurated on the 5th of June 2019, and the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker are expected to be filled during the inauguration ceremony.
